Country Information
Bhutan : Brief Country Information
Bhutan Arts and Crafts
Bhutan is known for handicraft items in bronze, silver and other metals. Sculpting of religious figures is widely practised and every temple houses large brightly painted and gilded statues of the Buddha and other saints.
Bhutan Food
Staple diet is red rice, buckwheat, wheat, maize, pork, beef, chicken, yak meat, cheese and chillies which are taken as vegetable and not as spice. One delicious Bhutanese Dish is the ema datsi.
Bhutan Dress
Bhutanese men wear gho, which are longish robes tied around the waist by a cloth belt, known as kera. The women’s ankle-length dress is known as kira, which is made of bright colored fine woven fabric with traditional patterns.
Bhutan People
Bhutanese are friendly and hospitable people. The large majority of Bhutanese people are a homogeneous group divided linguistically into three broad sub-groups. These are Ngalongs, Sharchops and Lhotshampas. Besides there are a number of smaller groups, many with their own language which form about one per cent of the population. Some of these groups are: Bumthap in Bumthang, Tsangho in the east, layaps in the north-west, Brokpas in the north-east and the Doyas in the south-west Bhutan. The last century has witnessed a greater variety of Bhutanese mosaic with the addition of the people of Nepalese origin comprising many ethnic groups who now form a large section of Bhutanese population.
Bhutan National Symbols
National tree: Cypress
National flower: Blue poppy
National animal: Takin
National bird: Raven
Bhutan Flag and Emblem
Bhutanese Media
In recent times, Bhutan has allowed the setting up of new private print medias. Till date, the different newspapers in Bhutan are
1. Kuensel
2. Bhutan Times
3. Bhutan Observer
Apart from the Television(TV) and Radio station, the Bhutan Broadcasting Service(BBS), a few more new private radio stations have started operating since 2007. They include :
1. Kuzoo
2. Radio Valley
3. Centennial Radio
Private cable operators throughout the country provide access to several regional and international TV channels.
Bhutan Sports
The national sport of Bhutan is archery. Other traditional sports include digor - a kind of shotput, darts and wrestling. Today, most international sports, such as soccer, basket ball, cricket, volleyball, tennis, badminton and table tennis are becoming popular.
Bhutan Architecture
The castle-like dzongs, with their gently tapering walls, classic lines, large courtyards and beautiful galleries, are among the finest examples of Bhutanese architecture. Containing large monasteries inside and set in commanding position on hilltops or at the confluence of rivers, dzongs are also the administrative centres of their districts.
Bhut, the most common architectural sight in Bhutan are the chortens or stupas which are small shrines built to house sacred relics.
Bhutan National Day
National Day is celebrated on the 17th of December in commemoration of the accession of Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck, the first king of Bhutan to the throne, at Punakha dzong.
Bhutan Economy
Agriculture and livestock raising are the mainstay of the economy. They contribute about 45 per cent to GNP. More than 70 per cent of the people live on subsisence farming. The farms are narrow peices of land cut into terraces on hill slopes. Forestry contributes 15 per cent to GNP and industry and mining 10 per cent.
Bhutan Currency
Ngultrum, the currency of Bhutan, has the same value as the Indian Rupee, which is also a legal tender.
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